


Lawrence and the Old Bitties

by Shoulder_Devil



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Creepy Dolls, Gen, Mannequin, Statement, piles of nonsense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-10 02:04:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16461362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shoulder_Devil/pseuds/Shoulder_Devil
Summary: Statement of Emily Hanson regarding a mannequin recently purchased from a second hand shop.Written for the 2018 Piles of Nonsense statement fic challenge.





	Lawrence and the Old Bitties

**Author's Note:**

> In which I write a statement thinly veiling my own experiences with a thrift shop mannequin  
> (I call mine BEN. It stands for Blank Eyed Nightmare. He watches me sleep.)
> 
> Thanks to Nelja for the encouragement to do the thing

Statement of Emily Hanson regarding a mannequin recently purchased from a second hand shop. 

Statement begins

 

“I love creepy things. I have for as long as I can remember. I was that weird kid who was into skulls and bugs and creepy dolls. Really anything that I thought might get a rise out of the other kids in class. I hadn’t realized just how strange my flat might look to someone who doesn’t know me until I had a plumber in to fix a stopped up drain. It was all forced smiles and nervous laughter when I let him in. It was probably the broken ventriloquist dummy sitting above the refrigerator that did it. 

“What I’m saying is my personal aesthetic can be more than a bit… unsettling. Which is why when I saw the mannequin for less than twenty quid I  _ had _ to have it. Getting it home was a bit of a hassle as it was too unwieldy to take on the tube. Cab fare getting it home cost more than the damn thing itself. I’d been wanting a mannequin for years though so it was worth it.

“I set him up in my flat and decided to call him Lawrence. I don’t know why, it just felt right. Sometimes I name things, sometimes I don't. I tend towards old timey names when I do. I call my doll collection the ‘Old Bitties’ since the ones with names are called things like Phyllis, Alma, Maude, and Esther. Anyway, I’m getting off topic. I’m here to tell you about Lawrence.

“I’m almost positive Lawrence is alive. Or can come alive from time to time when I’m not around. I keep noticing new chips and scratches on him. I would expect some imperfections, I did get him second hand after all, but I swear to you some of them are  _ new. _

“I think he might be left handed. It’s nothing major but the knuckles on that hand are scuffed. There’s also a scrape along his jaw that wasn’t there when I first set him up. It’s like he’s been fighting. But fighting with what? 

“Some of the Old Bitties have a tendency to fall over. The porcelain heads can be a bit top heavy to begin with but I always assumed it was due to my upstairs neighbor stomping around. Could one of my dolls be haunted? Is that what Lawrence is fighting? Is he protecting me from them or are they protecting me from him? Or are they just unruly siblings fighting among themselves?

“I would very much appreciate it if someone from your Institute could come out and have a look if only to put my mind at ease. Maybe run an EMF scanner through my flat or whatever else it is you people do. It would be a very ‘me’ way to go but I’d rather not get my head bashed in my a possessed mannequin or smothered by an evil doll in my sleep.”    
  


Statement Ends

 

**Author's Note:**

> Is Lawrence actually alive or is Emily just paranoid? Who's to say? 
> 
> It's weird writing TMA without any of the Institute staff. I'd like to add some Institute followup later but with my schedule lately I can't guarantee that I will.


End file.
